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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 28 Jun 2017

Vol. 956 No. 1

Topical Issue Debate

Garda Investigations

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy David Stanton, and thank him for his presence but I would obviously have preferred the senior Minister to be here to respond. If the Minister of State can provide it, I am looking for some hard information and facts regarding recent assaults in the Rathfarnham, Knocklyon and Ballycullen areas of my constituency in Dublin South-West. The first assault took place in the early afternoon of 18 June in broad daylight in the Stocking Avenue area of Rathfarnham. The assault was on a woman who was out walking. The general area is a popular one with walkers as it provides a ready-made circuit from many neighbouring housing estates and it grants easy access to the Dublin Mountains as well.

It is incredibly rare that such an occurrence would take place, hence the reason for me raising it in the House as a Topical Issue. I made contact ten days ago with the Garda at Rathfarnham and the inspector there was very helpful. He assured me that additional community Garda patrols, along with plain clothes detective patrols, had been deployed in the area, and that the gardaí both at Rathfarnham and Tallaght, which is the district headquarters, were taking the issue very seriously. Given the pressure on Garda resources, that was very much appreciated by the local community. That said, contrary views were expressed on whether the presence actually manifested throughout the community. Some were aware of the increased Garda presence and were very much appreciative of it but others said there was no evidence of an increased Garda presence.

I am aware from contact with the inspector at Rathfarnham Garda station that the issue was given high priority. The Garda helicopter was involved in searching on the Monday night following the assault. As I am sure the Minister of State will appreciate, just the presence of the helicopter increases anxiety even though it is not uncommon to have it along the M50 corridor. Its presence heightened the fears of local people.

Social media is a very useful tool for communications between individuals and groups and there is a high usage of social media in the area by both residents' associations and individuals to alert each other to suspicious activity. That was very useful in 2015 and 2016 in particular when there was a spike in burglaries. Equally, social media can be a terrible rumour mill and it can sometimes be very difficult to separate fact from rumour, which is another reason for me to raise the issue.

Last weekend there was also an alleged incident in the grounds of the Pearse Museum at Rathfarnham, otherwise known as St. Enda's Park, again, within the jurisdiction of Rathfarnham Garda station. I have written to the superintendent in Tallaght and have contacted the inspector at Rathfarnham again as I am seeking some hard information on the number of attacks in the area; the Garda response; details regarding Garda numbers in the area and the resources being devoted to that; the Garda plan to address the issue and if the plan is meeting with success. In other words, do the Garda believe it is a question of one suspect or two and how many attacks have taken place or were reported to the Garda? I would welcome a response to those questions from the Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality, Deputy Stanton. Local people definitely want some answers to the questions because the occurrence is so unusual. I will refer to some other points in due course.

I am speaking on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality who regrets that he cannot be present due to other official commitments. He is grateful to the Deputy for raising this matter in the House.

The Minister is aware of recent reports about serious assaults occurring in the Rathfarnham area. Such crimes are of course very shocking and, clearly, they have a strong impact on the local community, both in terms of the fear of crime in the area and overall community morale, as pointed out by Deputy Lahart.

I hope the Deputy will appreciate that the policing response to such crimes, including the deployment of Garda resources at local level, is a matter for the Garda authorities in the first instance. In that regard, I am sure the Deputy will understand that it would be inappropriate to enter into any detailed discussion of particular incidents which may be the subject of an ongoing investigation by An Garda Síochána.

However, the Minister is advised that Garda management carefully monitors the incidence of crime in local areas and that Garda resources are deployed in response to changing crime trends. That may include overt high visibility patrolling as well as covert Garda operations to target particular situations or persons suspected of engaging in criminal activity. At the heart of the concerns about such crimes is the relationship between communities and their local gardaí. It is worth recalling that A Programme for a Partnership Government underlines the importance of community policing in responding to the concerns and expectation of both urban and rural communities.

The Minister is advised that it remains a key priority for An Garda Síochána to tackle public disorder and anti-social behaviour by working with communities to reduce this type of behaviour and to enhance community safety. The approach includes a strong focus on quality-of-life issues and collaboration with local authorities to help address the causes of anti-social behaviour. The Garda engages in a range of partnership approaches with communities to address local concerns as well as participating in more formal structures such as joint policing committees which have an important role in developing strategies to tackle issues of local concern.

For its part, the Government remains committed to supporting An Garda Síochána in tackling crime and protecting communities. Under the Government's Capital Plan 2016-2021, €46 million is being invested in a modern, effective and fit-for-purpose Garda fleet. In 2016 alone, some 520 new vehicles came onstream to ensure that the Garda is mobile, visible and responsive on the roads and in the community to prevent and tackle crime. Furthermore, some €330 million, including €205 million under the capital plan, is being invested in Garda ICT infrastructure to allow the Garda to deploy the latest cutting-edge technologies in responding to crime in all its forms.

In particular, the Government is pursuing its plans to increase Garda numbers and provide enhanced front-line policing. Plans are in place to achieve a Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Garda reservists and 4,000 civilians. All of those measures will undoubtedly enhance policing responses to crime incidents and benefit all communities across the country.

I thank the Minister of State for the response but it is very disheartening as there was no mention of the number of assaults reported. I accept there was an acknowledgement at the start of the reply of the awareness of the Minister, but there is no indication that he has even made contact with the Commissioner's office to find out some basic statistics, which is what I have been trying to ascertain in order to instil some kind of confidence in the local community, as getting hard facts is the only way to combat rumours.

Some sections of the community in Ballycullen, Knocklyon and Rathfarnham believe the number of assaults is greater than it is. In the area I represent such assaults are so rare that to have even one creates a great deal of anxiety. A Member of one of these Houses lives in the locality, who is afraid to walk that circuit since the incident happened. The Minister of State should tell his senior Minister that I am very disappointed with the amount of information that has been provided, given the specific nature and location that I indicated in outlining the matter.

As the Deputy for the area, I have never received as many queries on an issue, in particular from young women and young mothers who feel especially vulnerable as they walk the exercise circuit in the area in the summer months. The response outlined by the Minister of State gives me no reassurance or details on the specific Garda response to the incidents. As the Minister of State is aware, the number of gardaí has dropped in every division in Dublin but I do not seek to raise that specific issue, what I am seeking is details on whether the patrols have been increased and for how long that will happen, whether a suspect or suspects have been identified and the number of assaults that have taken place. The Minister of State has given me none of that information. That reflects badly on the kind of feedback and information that is provided to public representatives either here or on the ground in the Garda division concerned. It is very difficult for a public representative to get information that might help to calm a situation, which is the specific issue I wish to raise.

I thank Deputy Lahart for his response. If he is looking for specific information I invite him either to contact the local Garda station directly and speak to the superintendent-----

Which I have done.

-----or table a specific parliamentary question on the issue.

I could not have been more specific.

I was asked to come to the House to discuss assaults on the public in the Rathfarnham Garda district, which I have done. I was not asked to provide any specific information. If I had been I would have done my best to supply it. We were not asked those questions initially. However, I thank the Deputy for providing the opportunity to have this important debate. The fact that the issue is raised here does raise its profile in the Department, with the Minister and others, so the Deputy has provided a good service in doing that. I am very happy to pass on his comments to the Minister.

I have dealt in general terms in the response to the crimes and I hope that has been of some help. It is important that we have a general national policy on such issues. However, if the Deputy has more specific concerns the Minister has asked me to say he will be happy to bring them to the attention of the Garda authorities. I invite the Deputy to write to me or the senior Minister with his specific questions and concerns and we will be happy to follow them up, as we have done in the past.

As I have already said, the immediate responses to crime incidents are clearly a matter for local Garda management. We cannot interfere in that. It is clearly a matter for them, and as the Deputy himself has said, they are helpful and professional and they go with their job as best they can.

That being said, the Government is determined that every appropriate support will be provided to assist local gardaí in confronting crime and in protecting communities. I have outlined the huge increase in spending for the recruitment drive that is ongoing, the increase in spending for vehicles and for information and communications technology etc. The Deputy mentioned that the Garda helicopter was available and was in the area. He has actually outlined that there was visible evidence of increased activity. I am sure there are overt and covert operations happening. The gardaí are very professional in dealing with these. The Minister and I are very anxious to be of any assistance to any public representative who brings concerns of this nature to the House.

Anti-Social Behaviour

There is a serious problem developing in towns around the country. Significant areas within out towns are being ceded to thugs, to crime and to drug dealers. Certain public parks and playgrounds in towns such as Navan are taken over on sunny days by adults drinking cans and spirits. Drugs are openly sold and consumed in broad daylight in town squares in towns in Meath. Many families are being tormented by anti-social behaviour by neighbours.

I know of one young mother in Trim with a newborn baby. She is living next door to a family that has allowed rubbish to pile up so much that the place is full of rats and some of the adults in that family have started urinating on the door of the young mother's house. They stare in the window at her and the kids kick footballs up against her windows. Music is played loudly into the night. The landlord of the perpetrators cannot get them out currently and is considering paying them €5,000 to leave. Not being able to sleep and not feeling safe in one's own house is, I believe, a threat to the physical and mental health of a person.

Last week in my home town of Navan, a shopkeeper, Ciaran Reilly, was severely beaten by thugs while defending his shop. He was left with severe bruising and swelling to his head and needed serious medical attention. Recently, another teenager in the county was rushed to hospital having been found with stab wounds. A farming contractor has had €12,000 worth of tractor parts stolen from his yard in the past year. He came across the thieves and they came at him with a wheel brace.

There are well over 400 assaults happening in County Meath every year. The homicide figures for the county, which include manslaughter and murder, have increased and sexual offences have trended upwards over the last 12 years.

At the same time, between 2011 and 2012, there has been a significant fall in the number of gardaí in the county. Trim, Summerhill, Longwood, Kilmessan, Enfield, Ballivor, Kells, Crossakiel, Laytown, Dunshaughlin and Ashbourne have all lost gardaí under the Minister of State's Government. We have lost 25 gardaí in total in County Meath, with Garda stations being closed in places such as Kilmessan and Crossakiel. At the time, my colleague, Senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, tabled a parliamentary question to find out how much the Government was saving by closing these Garda stations. He found out that it was the princely sum of €4,000 a year per Garda station to have them closed.

We know that gardaí are fiercely frustrated about their working environment. Morale is at an all-time low due to the scandals with regard to the Garda management failings and the abdication of responsibility and oversight by the Government. The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors has said that we are now witnessing the human impact of seven years of austerity. The Garda Inspectorate report uncovered serious, systemic weaknesses in An Garda Síochána. I have come to the view that at this stage there is nearly a tolerable level of crime, thuggery, drug dealing and alcohol abuse in our public spaces. There is a danger that if I raise these issues I will be blamed by some people for blackening my own county. If I do not raise the issues, however, we know they will never get fixed. I must give credit to the group of people in Roscrea who are taking this issue by the scruff of the neck and who are doing great work in that regard.

The situation needs to be fixed and it can be fixed. I look to the Minister of State to identify what the Government will do to ensure that towns such as those I have mentioned will be safe places for people.

I speak on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, who regrets that he cannot be here. He has other official commitments. The Minister and I are very grateful to the Deputy for raising this matter in the House today. The Deputy should raise matters such as this in the House to highlight them in order that our attention is drawn to them and action can be taken. The Minister is very much aware of the impact of street crime and anti-social behaviour on local communities and the general social environment in towns around the country. There are well recognised effects in terms of the fear of crime and overall community morale. We have discussed the fear of crime in the last Topical Issue matter.

I hope the Deputy will appreciate that the policing response to such crimes, including the deployment of Garda resources at local level, is a matter for the Garda authorities in the first instance. The Minister is advised that Garda management carefully monitors the incidence of such crime and that Garda resources are deployed in response to changing crime trends. This may include directing resources at areas designated as hotspots for anti-social behaviour and high-visibility policing in the vicinity of entertainment venues and licensed premises, especially when people are entering and exiting.

In terms of our existing legislative provisions, there is a strong body of legislation contained in the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Acts and the Intoxicating Liquor Acts to address these sorts of street crime offences. These include powers for gardaí to seize alcohol on the street where there is an apprehension of public disorder. It is clear, however, that gardaí face significant challenges in dealing with public disorder and anti-social behaviour that is fuelled by the misuse of alcohol. Clearly, these matters cannot be addressed by policing measures alone. The underlying issues about the misuse of alcohol and taking responsibility for personal behaviour are part of a much wider debate for our society.

The Garda also conducts intelligence-led operations to target particular suspects or criminal activities, such as drug-dealing. Deputies will also be aware that the Garda has had a number of significant successes in recent months in targeting drugs crime with seizures of large amounts of drugs. These seizures are the result of painstaking and professional police work that is aimed at dismantling the criminal networks behind the visible manifestations of drugs misuse that are evident on our streets.

At the heart of the concerns expressed by the Deputy is the relationship between communities and their local gardaí. It is worth recalling that the programme for a partnership Government underlines the importance of community policing in responding to the concerns and expectation of both urban and rural communities.

The Minister is advised that it remains a key priority for An Garda Síochána to tackle public disorder and anti-social behaviour by working with communities to reduce this type of behaviour and to enhance community safety. This approach includes a strong focus on quality of life issues and collaboration with local authorities to help address the causes of anti-social behaviour. The Garda engages in a range of partnership approaches with communities to address local concerns, as well as participating in more formal structures such as joint policing committees which have an important role in developing strategies to tackle issues of local concern.

The Minister, Deputy Flanagan, has asked me to emphasise that joint policing committees have a very important role in facilitating consultation, co-operation and synergy on policing and crime issues between An Garda Síochána, local authorities and elected local representatives. The active and constructive engagement by elected representatives is very important on the joint policing committees.

In conclusion, the Minister would like to reaffirm that the Government remains committed to supporting the Garda to make communities safer. The Government has devoted significant resources to policing in recent years and this will continue, in particular through the accelerated programme of Garda recruitment. This undoubtedly will enhance policing services for all communities across the country.

Meath is probably no different to many other counties and when we look at these issues, we sometimes try to benchmark them against the figures the Garda gives. People do not know what to believe with respect to figures they get from the Garda at present. The figures on breath tests were hocus pocus and now we see that the Central Statistics Office will no longer publish the homicide figures in the State due to concerns of accuracy. This is a shocking indictment of the Garda system.

Existing laws are not being implemented. Navan is hammered with derelict sites. There is a Derelict Sites Act and I ask the Minister of State to consider how the Act could be made easier to use. Local authorities are not using it due to the difficulties. There is also the Residential Tenancies Act and I ask how that can be made easier to use and enforce in order that people do not have to live beside residents who make their lives hell. Councils also should be empowered to develop more by-laws that are not flouted but are implemented.

Quality of life issues are very important. It does not have to be this way. We could make a change by improving the quality of life of people by getting them to take back their public spaces. This, however, needs better planning. We may be at the precipice of a whole new building space.

I ask the Government to ensure planning is put in place to make spaces safe for people in the future. We need to keep an eye on our children. There is no doubt about that. We need to teach them values. We must teach them what is right and wrong. We also need to ensure they have services and facilities. I will give an example. The OPW has owned a building in Enfield for the last five years. It pays for its upkeep and its security. The building has been closed each day for the last five years. We have asked over and again for the OPW to make this building accessible to the local community so that a youth club can be provided and other community groups in Enfield can provide local services. The OPW has said for five years that it will not open this building. It remains closed. I guarantee the Minister of State that State or Government buildings in each of the towns and villages about which we are concerned are not being used. They are closed to their communities or at least are not being fully utilised. I ask the Minister of State to take the cost-free step of making an audit of existing structures in order that we can bring safety back to our streets.

On behalf of the Minister, I thank the Deputy again for giving the House an opportunity to debate this matter. It is right that we should highlight and discuss issues of importance for County Meath and the country as a whole. I will be happy to pass the Deputy's views on these matters on to the Minister. I have dealt in general terms with the response to crime and anti-social behaviour. I hope this has been of some help to the Deputy. I emphasise the importance of the joint policing committees, which pull together representatives of local authorities and communities. When I served on a joint policing committee for a number of years, I found it an extremely useful way to raise issues. The Minister has asked me to say that if the Deputy has concerns about any particular towns or localities, he will bring those concerns to the attention of the Garda authorities. If the Deputy wants to write to the Minister on these specific issues, he would welcome that as well. I have already outlined the immediate response to street crime and anti-social behaviour. It is clearly a matter for local Garda management to make decisions on how to handle and deploy their resources. Having said that, the Government is determined that every appropriate support will be provided to assist local gardaí in confronting crime and protecting communities. There will be another passing-out parade next week. This means that further gardaí will be going on the streets. We are continuing to recruit trainees to increase Garda numbers as fast as we can. We are providing other facilities, supports and services as well. The Deputy is correct when he says that the State owns various facilities around the country where services can be provided. I have personal experience of being involved in such a project in my local area. A building was made available to the local community when it came together to take on a project and provide important services like those he has mentioned. I will relay his remarks to the Minister.

Research and Development Supports

I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy D'Arcy, on his recent appointment as Minister of State at the Department of Finance. As someone who originally comes from the same part of the world as the Minister of State, I am delighted to see him being promoted and to see north Wexford enjoying ministerial representation. North Kildare might follow in due course.

I was slightly confused when I saw that this Topical Issue was being handled by the Department of Finance. I had imagined that it might be the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation or perhaps the Department of Education and Skills because those Departments are normally responsible for research and development issues. I thought the relevant Ministers in those Departments would have to make their case to the Department of Finance for research and development supports to be included in their own budgets. Perhaps it is useful to have a direct path to the purse strings. It is worth highlighting in that context that the funding of research and development and innovation can sometimes fall between the two stools of the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. It is not always clear who is responsible for these matters. In this case, ultimate responsibility lies with the Department of Finance.

I hope the benefits of investment in research and development are self-evident. A pipeline of innovation brings multiple benefits and returns as the body of knowledge in areas like technology and process improvements advances. I will not recite the multiple studies that bear this out. I hope it is self-evident that investment in research and development produces multiple returns at the far side. The last Government's Innovation 2020 strategy, which was published by the Minister of State, Deputy English, contained some very ambitious targets but unfortunately they have not been met with funding. According to a report published this week by the Nevin Economic Research Institute, this is becoming an issue. It seems we have fallen far short of where we really need to be in terms of international funding. The report, which is based on a comparative analysis of 11 European countries, suggests that Ireland consistently spends too little on research. It points out that in 2014-15, Ireland's research expenditure of approximately €500 million represented 61%, or just over half, of the average spend within the euro group. Under Innovation 2020, we have a target of spending 2.5% of GDP in this area, but we consistently fall far short of that.

It is often said that the Irish experience of research and development and innovation has moved from one of benevolent neglect at the time of the foundation of the State, when other priorities existed, to one involving a graduate supply chain when IDA Ireland started to attract multinationals to this country in the late 1960s, and then to one of accelerated growth during Fianna Fáil's last period in government. Many initiatives taken during that time, including the establishment of Science Foundation Ireland and the programme for research in third-level institutions, accelerated the progress that was being made by bringing the best and most talented teams of researchers to this country. Indeed, the best people were groomed and educated in this country to a level that enabled us to punch above our weight. All of this is now in danger at a time when opportunities exist as people in the international research community are on the move. President Trump's America can be a cold place for people from certain corners of the world who are very eminent in their fields. Similarly, the Brexit scenario in the UK means that country is not a place where people feel comfortable staying in the long term. If we can invest in a way that allows us to avail of these opportunities, we will reap the rewards by attracting talented people to this country.

I acknowledge that investment in innovation is critical not just for universities and multinationals but also for small businesses. I welcome the representatives of the Sallins Business Association who are in the Gallery this evening. Innovation is the engine of small business every bit as much as it is the engine of large business. Indeed, the Small Firms Association has lobbied on this matter in the past as well. I hope the deficit I have outlined can be addressed. It is crucial for our industrial and educational policy, for the promotion of jobs and for the advancement of knowledge that we tackle this issue by closing the funding gap about which we have known for some time. Approximately 900 scientists wrote to The Irish Times two years ago to warn that this was happening. I was on the science march in Dublin city a month or two ago when eminent researchers, professors, fellows and academics came out and said "this is not enough" and "this is not going to end well". This was confirmed by the Nevin Economic Research Institute in its recent study. I put it to the Minister of State that we need to address this funding gap.

I join Deputy Lawless in congratulating the Minister of State, Deputy D'Arcy, on his appointment and wishing him well.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. It is somewhat pleasing to be complimented on my elevation to the position of Minister of State by Deputy Lawless because we come from the same town and we attended the same secondary school.

I suspect the Minister of State will not be inviting him back.

He is well settled in north Kildare at this stage. I thank Deputy Lawless for raising this question. Research and development is an important source of growth because it contributes to ideas and products which affect productivity. One of the key insights of modern economic theory has been that per capita growth ultimately comes from changes in productivity. As such, research and development can be a key input in ensuring positive and sustainable economic growth in the long run, alongside other important factors such as openness to trade, the level of competition and the quality of infrastructure. The Government acknowledges the importance of research and development. We believe it needs to be examined comprehensively because all sectors of the Irish economy contribute to research. The vast majority of research and development conducted in Ireland is done by businesses rather than by the public sector. According to the CSO, business expenditure on research and development stood at €2.1 billion in 2014, the most recent year for which data are available. Total business expenditure on research and development, including such expenditure in the public sector, was €2.9 billion in that year. The level of business expenditure on research and development in Ireland, at €331 per inhabitant, is considerably higher than the EU 28 average of €297 per inhabitant in 2014.

The Government has a variety of supports in place to stimulate business expenditure on research and development, including research and development grants and research and development tax credits. I assume Deputy Lawless's matter is being taken by the Department of Finance because of the tax credits. The research and development tax credit is regularly reviewed by the Department of Finance. The latest review, which was published along with budget 2017 in October 2016, found that 60% of the research and development supported by this tax credit was additional in the sense that it would not otherwise have taken place. This is an important result because although it is generally agreed that research and development provides an important contribution to growth, public support for research and development cannot be justified unless such intervention can be demonstrated to lead to improved outcomes. The result also holds up well in an international comparison.

In 2015, a total of 1,534 companies availed of the research and development tax credit and the total Exchequer cost was €708 million. This represents approximately 10% of corporation tax receipts, a share that has been fairly constant for the past three years. As already mentioned, the Government readily acknowledges the importance of research and development. Its importance is embedded in the Innovation 2020 strategy, which provides a whole-of-Government response to ensure that Ireland becomes a global innovation leader. Among other targets, Innovation 2020 commits to increasing public and private investment in research. As for public investment in particular, data published in early 2017 by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation show that the Government allocated €761 million for research and development in 2016. This was the third year in a row that funding had increased and represented a 3.2% increase on the 2015 figure of €736 million. Public investment in 2017 is expected to be broadly in line with the figure for 2016.

In conclusion, the Government is keenly aware of the importance of research to Ireland's economic future. Policy tools to stimulate additional research and development, such as the research and development tax credit, continue to play an important role in this regard, as does a concerted and comprehensive effort from all areas of the public sector, as envisioned by the Innovation 2020 strategy.

One can discern the merger of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Finance in the Minister of State's answer in the sense that it dealt primarily with the tax credits that are available. It is an interesting avenue to go down but I am more interested in the public expenditure side. The research and development tax credits are very important, as is the knowledge box and I was pleased to pass amendments earlier in the year in this area. However, they are only one piece of the puzzle and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has the responsibility and opportunity to increase the funding to research and development programmes.

I made a submission to the capital plan suggesting that the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, engage with the EU so that Ireland could draw down Juncker funding, where multiple billions are available for infrastructure in the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme and other projects. The successor programmes, which are now coming on stream, also have significant amounts of capital available and they would be delighted to engage with Ireland to fund its needs. There are additional opportunities such as CERN, in which we could invest significantly to reap significant rewards, and the European Space Agency, which I visited with the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Deputy Halligan, and where there are huge commercial opportunities. The multiplier effect comes into play and every euro invested yields €7 or €8 for the Exchequer in financial opportunities.

As regards investment in education infrastructure, the programme for research in third level institutions, PRTLI, was a fantastic scheme, founded by Fianna Fáil but continued under the last Government. However, it has now ground to a halt and there is an urgent need to support and fund a successor programme. However, while phase 5 should be coming out now, it has not emerged. There is also a need for a balanced portfolio, not only to fund applied and commercial research but to fund the pipeline too - the basic, frontier-level research which creates the opportunities and ideas for commercial opportunities. They deal with the bread-and-butter elements, namely, the buildings, laboratories and libraries.

On the tax side, there was a JobsPlus scheme where small business got a cash return for taking on employees but an R&DPlus scheme was mentioned by the Small Firms Association, SFA, and this could be very useful in encouraging innovation in the SME sector.

I am not going to pretend to be as up to speed on these things as I might be. I am not. However, there is an incredible amount of research and development going into FinTech in particular and, while this was once considered a disruptive technology to the industry, it has now evolved and there are a lot of cutting-edge companies moving into that space, meaning FinTech is not now as disruptive to the industry and will be very beneficial. Some of the brightest minds from all over the country, including rural areas, are working in this field.

I will take the Deputy's comments back to the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, but a concern of mine is that I expect budget 2018 to be quite tight. I do not expect there to be a large amount of headroom. Nevertheless, we need to thrash out the issues raised by the Deputy and I would be happy to do so outside the Chamber.

Tourism Promotion

Having worked closely with Councillor Andrew Duncan in Mullingar to ensure the continuance of fish farming in Cullion and that Mullingar remains one of the key destinations for anglers, I have taken a keen interest in tourism in the midlands since my election. Fáilte Ireland presented to the transport and tourism and special Oireachtas committees over eight months ago and the contents of the meeting were very positive on the area of rebranding the midlands in terms of its tourism package. There was a commitment in the programme for Government to create a tourism brand for the midlands. An idea for a lakeland brand was put forward, initially as a scoping exercise, and Colliers was commissioned to carry out a feasibility study on this issue.

New initiatives such as Ireland's Ancient East, which encompasses the midlands area, and the Wild Atlantic Way have been very successful and there is a huge need for a new brand in the midlands to feed into and work with those existing brands. There was an 8.8% increase in overseas tourists and visitor numbers last year, to 8.742 million, which is a huge success. A total of 1 million tourists come to Ireland from North America. We have huge untapped jewels in the midlands and we need a strategy to bring them together and encourage tourism into the midlands because this is one of the key economic streams that make our rural communities sustainable. I note that 66% of all visitors will see a heritage site and in County Westmeath, to name but a few, we have Belvedere House just outside Mullingar, which is hugely successful, and in the centre of Ireland the Hill of Uisneach, which is a mythological and sacred centre of Ireland. The President recently attended for the lighting of the fires, which attracts a huge number of visitors to the site. We also have unique and undeveloped water courses, 50,000 acres of lakes and six major lakes within a half hour of Mullingar. We need to pull together all these natural resources and untapped jewels to ensure we have a package that encourages people to come to the midlands and showcases what it has to offer.

The Minister will be aware of Center Parcs coming to Balllymahon in County Longford and the region will benefit hugely from the investment committed to with this development. It is important that, in attracting huge tourism to the area, there is a package to support it in order that other parts of the midlands can also benefit. Two sites in Longford are included in Ireland's Ancient East and that makes an even stronger argument for the midlands to have its own unique brand. It is critical that this brand feeds into the other brands, such as the Wild Atlantic Way.

I recently met the business development manager of Fáilte Ireland and pointed out a number of initiatives we need for the strategy. He listened to everything I said and I felt I was pushing at an open door. Colliers has commenced its feasibility study. Has the Department examined that as of yet? How far away are we from launching a new, evidence-based brand? The evidence is there on the ground that there is a huge amount on offer in the midlands.

I thank Deputy Burke for raising this extremely important matter.

He knows that the programme for Government contains a commitment to develop a brand such as that referred to. I am pleased to be able to update the House on the progress being made by Fáilte Ireland in the development of a branding strategy for the midlands. I do not have a copy of my script for the Deputy but I will ensure he receives one as soon as possible.

At the outset, I would like to clarify that my Department's role in respect of tourism lies in the area of national tourism policy. It is not directly involved in the management or development of individual tourism projects or strategies. These are operational matters for the board and management of Fáilte Ireland and I do not have a direct role in regard to the development of branding strategies. However, I have made it clear on behalf of Deputies Burke, Moran, Troy and others that this is an issue considered to be an imperative in the area. Fáilte Ireland is progressing the development of a brand to promote tourism in the midlands. In line with the commitment in the programme for Government to develop the Ireland's lakelands brand, Fáilte Ireland commissioned a destination and feasibility study in the final quarter of 2016 to ascertain the potential growth and best mechanism to unlock the areas lying between the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland's Ancient East. As Deputy Burke mentioned, a consortium of Colliers, Red C and DKM was engaged to conduct the study, which is an indication that the Department takes this matter seriously and intends to proceed with it. The consortium assessed the region, benchmarked similar international offerings and met people in the industry and other stakeholders. The study is now complete and has identified the broad consumer proposition that can differentiate the midlands region. To advance this, Fáilte Ireland has, in conjunction with Colliers, developed a number of potential treatments of the proposition. Its next step is to develop and test the available options. It is scheduled to soon commence this work and that will include engagement with local stakeholders. The Deputy will appreciate that any proposal to proceed with implementing a brand for the midlands will be subject to the outcome of the further analysis being undertaken by Fáilte Ireland, including an economic analysis, and the availability of funding which will be sought as part of the normal discussions on the Estimates and the capital plan.

Tourism has the potential to bring additional jobs and revenue to local communities and is a vital player in rural development and regeneration. The midlands region has untapped tourism potential in its tracks and trails, local heritage and lakes and rivers. Fáilte Ireland will now develop this concept further to help maximise the benefit to be gained. It is important that the branding solution developed would be the strongest possible to lead tourism development and growth for the midlands. In that context, I look forward to the outcome of the testing and analysis phase which Fáilte Ireland is now commencing.

I thank the Minister for his positive response and for his work and that of his Department in this area. It is key for all Members to work together on this issue. In the context of national policy, it is very important that a new policy for the midlands would fit in and connect with current projects such as Ireland's Ancient East and the Wild Atlantic Way in terms of attracting more tourism from abroad. These different areas are not competing with each other and need to work together.

As I said, the midlands has its own unique identity and product investment is needed to ensure it is not left behind in the market but gets an equal chance to stand up and fight for increased visitor numbers across its counties. As the Minister noted, it is very important that the Department or other agency that carries out the study meet with local stakeholders such as Westmeath County Council and other promoters in the area such as the promoters of the Hill of Uisneach, which has a huge amount to offer. It is a national treasure but was really starting from scratch and a vast amount of work has gone into its promotion. Its promoters have put their own money into so doing in order to ensure it attracts high visitor numbers. It was great to have the President there to acknowledge that it is a mythological centre and has a long history.

It is also very important that evidence-based studies be carried out. As was pointed out, it was very important that Colliers investigated this issue and considered the market, as a result of which we now know what the market is looking for, which opens up a niche and puts us ahead. There are huge opportunities in the midlands, such as that offered by Center Parcs, which will be a massively positive contribution to the area, or the lakes that anglers have worked very hard to market abroad in order to ensure that the midlands benefits from tourism. We need to ensure that this competitive advantage is maintained. I would welcome evidence-based product investment. I thank the Minister.

The Deputy and I are on the same wavelength in respect of this issue. Fáilte Ireland has bought into this project, probably because it has to do so. I do not mean that in a pejorative way or that it would not have done so in any event but the fact that the commitment is in the programme for Government means it cannot be ignored or dropped. I am one of the guardians of the programme for Government, along with Deputies Burke and Moran among others, and we should insist that it is implemented. As one of those involved in this project, I guarantee to promote it as fast as possible, provided the funds to do so are available. The initial promotion will cost money although we do not yet know how much because we do not know what options will be found preferable. Provided that the money will be well spent, as it will, I hope there will be clarity on the progress relating to this project in the not-too-distant future and that we will have good news for the midlands.

Sitting suspended at 6.15 p.m. and resumed at 6.55 p.m.
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